Iron Chef Symphonia: Michiba vs Sage
by OkonoMiyagi
Summary: Honorary Iron Chef Michiba, after doing some soul-searching of his own, decides to challenge a recent Kitchen Stadium victor himself.
1. The Spirit of Challenge

Iron Chef Symphonia: Michiba vs. Sage

Summary: Honorary Iron Chef Michiba, after doing some soul-searching of his own, decides to challenge a recent victor in Kitchen Stadium himself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Iron Chef, or any of the characters involved. Please read "ICS: Sage vs. Sakai" first if you haven't already, because this is a direct sequel to that story.

Author's Note: All characters are assumed to be speaking Japanese unless otherwise noted.

* * *

**Chapter 1: ****The Spirit of Challenge**

It was an early morning in the village of Mizuho. Inside a hut just a stone's throw from the Chief's residence, a brush dipped in ink met a dry sheet of paper in a small hut. Each kana took form from the brush in the old man's hand onto the paper he laid out.

タマシイ*.

_Spirit, _the old man thought. _That is exactly what I saw last month. The young man's creations were pure genius, but why? Innovative, unusual, and unique, yes, but they had soul. Each creation had a spirit of its own._

The old man set his brush down and held the piece of paper in front of him, waiting for the ink to dry. The one word he had written on it gleamed black against the bright Tethe'alla sun, which shone through the window of his Mizuhoan hut. He tacked the paper to a wall and reached for the bottle of _sake_ and his _masu*_ near the window, the black lines on the paper now reminding him constantly of the one thing that cooking should never lack.

_Spirit,_ he thought once again, _drives quality…and I fear I am losing the very thing that I could once capture so well…_

He took a long sip of _sake_ as he meditated in the hut some more. He then found yet another paper, letter-sized, and wrote what appeared to be a message.

_Yes…this is what I shall do._

He sealed the message inside the envelope and, parcel in hand, rose from the floor of his hut, went outside, and stretched. It was a brisk morning, a perfect day to walk about the village. He saw his vegetable garden nearby, noting how well the tomatoes were doing this year. _And I haven't gotten good tomatoes in years, _he thought, _or good _anything_ for the last month…_

But the old man had more important business to tend to than harvesting his good tomatoes. Removing his shoes, he stepped up to the raised platform and knocked on the door of the Chief's residence.

"Fujibayashi-sama?"

"_Hai_," a young voice called from inside. "Oh! _Ohayo gozaimasu_…"

The old man returned the bow, handing the girl an envelope. "A message for one of your friends. I, regrettably, cannot make the trek to deliver this in person to him, but I hope you will be able to deliver it on my behalf? It is rather important…"

The raven-haired kunoichi caught the smell of the _sake_ on the man's breath, realizing why he enlisted her help. She eyed the man's calligraphy on the envelope, recognizing the addressee's name immediately.

"Of course, I'll be seeing him later today. I'll make sure he gets this."

"Thank you, Fujibayashi-sama."

"My pleasure. And I've told you before, Shihna-chan will do just fine."

The old man just smiled at her as he turned on his heel to make his way back to his hut, leaving the kunoichi staring at the mysterious envelope.

"He seemed unusually serious about it…" she muttered. "Although he's been behaving rather…strange lately."

Shrugging it off, she made for the gate of the village and pulled out her Rheiard pack.

"Right…where did that kid say he'd be this week?"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"Wow, look at these over here!"

The young mage, beckoning the little woodcutter over to him, pointed out the selection of winter melons he was eyeing with much attention. They were considerably bigger and healthier-looking than any melon he had seen before in Iselia, or anywhere else for that matter. Genis picked one up and gave it a knock.

"Oooh. You hear that?" he asked, holding the melon up to Presea's ear and giving it another tap. "Must be really ripe…"

Presea smiled at him. She had seen Genis before as the know-it-all about pretty much anything. At times he could be really arrogant about it, too. But around food, he carried a much different air about him—enthusiastic as always, but wise, perhaps even endearing. And, she was convinced, it wasn't just the perpetual Flanoir snow whizzing about their heads that did it to him.

_タマシイ__, _she thought, _it courses through him like mana…_

She wrapped her arm around his as he continued showing her different produce specimens, enthralled by the mini-lecture he gave on the perfect conditions for optimum flavor for each one.

"Now what did I need again?" she heard him ask himself. Her free hand dug around in her pocket and found the small paper he had given her that morning.

"Here, Genis," she said, handing it to him. "Three sweet potatoes, two artichokes, five pears, and a winter melon," she read.

"That's it?" he replied. "We were going to stock up in Flanoir and that's all I put? Well, let's see, the avocados were good, so let's get a few of those. Oooh! Bok choy, we never get that back in Iselia…"

_Oh, Genis…_ she thought, _it's a good thing you won that money last week, else you'd be burning a hole in everybody's wallet with your compulsive ingredient shopping…five thousand gald for all this?_

The woodcutter sighed as she grabbed the overflowing bags of produce, praying to Martel that they wouldn't lose anything during the Rheiard journey back to Altamira.

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"I think…this is the place…never knew Genis scored it big here…and it's only been a month?" Sheena muttered, lifting her gaze from the envelope she held to the gigantic building she had come to know over the course of the journey. It was the Grand Hotel Altamira, where Regal had set them up on occasion to stay if they ever needed a night—and where Lloyd let his stomach take over for his brain several more times than was necessary, draining his wallet faster than her Pyre Seal could knock him down. The kunoichi lightly giggled at the thought of the red-clad swordsman. _Sheesh, Lloyd…_

"But something still doesn't seem right to me…so quickly after he won on _Iron Chef_ and he's here?"

She entered the massive establishment, which was oddly deserted for the day. Finding her way to the restaurant, she smelled something very familiar as she opened the door. It was the odd hour of the day in between lunch and dinner, when business slowed to a crawl. Sheena took in the pungent, biting scent and choked.

_Niflheim Noodles?_ she thought as she glanced toward the open kitchen. The small shrub of silver hair poking over the top of the counter confirmed her suspicions.

_Damn, Genis…you're practically a master chef now. And you wanted to pursue _magic?

"Hi, table for one?" the receptionist asked.

"Erm—um, well, actually…" Sheena stammered, lowering her glance to the envelope in her hand. "…I had a message for Chef Sage, if he has a minute…it's rather important."

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, please, go right ahead," and she waved Sheena through to the kitchen.

The shrub of silver hair she eyed stood still as she approached the counter to ruffle it.

"Well, I see our little _tetsujin_* hit the big time here in Altamira, eh?"

The young mage jumped. "What the—oh! Hey there, Sheena. Hang on a sec, I'll be right out…" he said as he scurried to the back of the kitchen and disappeared behind a door. It wasn't long before he reappeared right in front of his ninja companion, embracing her.

"I just stocked the kitchen with a bunch of ingredients from Flanoir…you know, see if the winter aura agrees with the summery feel here. So what's up?"

"Oh, not much, just in the area. Where's Presea?"

"In the back, taking inventory. I'm here in case an order comes in, but I don't think we'll get one for a while."

"I see…" Sheena said as she remembered why her sleeve bothered her. "This, my friend, is for you," she added, procuring the envelope. "The old man would've come here himself to deliver it to you, but something came up, so I came instead."

"Hmm…" Genis voiced, perplexed. He tore open the envelope and read the message:

_Dear Chef Sage,_

_ I wholeheartedly congratulate you on your victory last month against Iron Chef Sakai. You are a very talented young man, and your recent appointment to the Grand Hotel Altamira's restaurant is a testament to your impressive culinary prowess. I was most impressed by your techniques that brought out the essence of each ingredient in each dish._

_ Having said that, I wish to challenge you in Kitchen Stadium myself three weeks from this Friday. You possess the spirit of cooking that has largely gone missing from my dishes, and I hope that you will help me rediscover what that spirit is._

_ I look forward to hearing from you._

_--Rokusaburo Michiba_

"Michiba-san…losing his spirit?" Genis muttered to himself, quizzically. "I don't believe that for a minute…"

"That could probably explain why he was acting so weird lately. His calligraphy is usually very neat, very elegant, and powerful looking, but recently it's gotten rather uncharacteristically messy…" Sheena sighed, "…and I never see him walking around town anymore. I mean, the _sake_ can only do so much for one's soul…"

"And it sounds like he's suffering a kind of Toxicosis like Colette was during the journey…"

"Hmm…would that be 'Iron Toxicosis', then?"

"Suppose so. But I figure, he gave me the advice that led me to win last month, so the least I can do is help him rediscover his spirit."

"Well then…looks like it's game time for you again, kiddo," Sheena said, patting him on the back.

"And _allez cuisine_," the mage joked.

* * *

Whew! That was pretty long. This one will probably be a bit more angsty than the previous one (largely thanks to Michiba-san's period of soul-searching and worrying over the Iron Toxicosis), though I hope the humor will surface come the opening gong. I don't typically write angst (though when I do, it's not very good), so…take that as you will.

*Author's Notes: _タマシイ_: pronounced "tamashii"—spirit.

_Masu_: a square, wooden box-like cup typically used to serve _sake_.

_Tetsujin_: Iron Chef. (Though it literally translates to "iron man", but whatever…)


	2. Rusted Iron

Michiba struggles with his trademark dish, and a worried Sheena carries the concerns of the village as she approaches him about his erratic behavior. _Dozo_.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Rusted Iron**

Late into the night, the residents of Mizuho were tortured by scraping noises coming from the hut of the Honorary Iron Chef, who was shaving a block of dried bonito to use that night. Michiba's face showed a whirlwind of emotions, knowing that his iron will—and his iron grip—that drove him to success in the kitchen was beginning to weaken.

_If this broth—my so-called "Broth of Vigor"—cannot even revitalize _me…

The boiling water on the stove caught his attention, and he brought his fresh shavings to the pot and dunked them in, letting the water absorb the natural flavor of the bonito*.

_Now, let's see…what do I put in the broth? What's good for the soul…?_

He rummaged his pantry for the perfect ingredient but kept shaking his head. _Nothing here…nothing will properly fill the emptiness I feel here…_

His hand encountered a long, dark green sheet. Withdrawing it, a small smile began to creep over the old man's face.

_Well…you can never go wrong with konbu, _he thought as he sliced up the dried seaweed and dunked it into the boiling water. He reached for the sake as he waited patiently for the water to absorb the flavor of the bonito shavings. As the seaweed became soft he strained the broth and put the seaweed back into it, pouring a small portion for himself into a bowl. He sipped the _katsuobushi_ he had just prepared and sat back. Setting the bowl onto the table, he covered his face and lay back onto the hard floor.

"No spirit…" he sighed, leaving the failed Broth of Vigor unceremoniously on the table to cool.

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Michiba-sama…?"

The old man grunted as he rose to answer the door. _How long was I out? It's morning already…?_

"_Ohayo gozaimasu_…eh! Shihna-chan!" the old man coughed. "What a surprise! Please, please…come on in…"

The raven-haired kunoichi removed her shoes and stepped into the man's hut.

_Katsuobushi…figured as much, _she thought, catching a whiff of Michiba's self-proclaimed failed attempt from last night. _That explains the scraping noises from last night, in any event…_

"I'm sorry the place is in such disorder…if only I had known you were coming—"

"No worries, Michiba-sama. I came to talk to you about something that's come up in the village…"

"And what might that be?" the old man replied, reaching for the sake. "I'd offer you some, but I forget that you are too young…I'm afraid all I have for you is some cold _katsuobushi_."

Sheena chuckled. "There's a certain red-haired Chosen in Meltokio who tried pulling that trick on me. But he had a much different objective in mind…it's relieving to know some people still have restraint. Of course, you are older and much wiser than he can ever hope to be."

Old. The word stuck Michiba in the side like a sea urchin to his fingers. It was no secret that the former Iron Chef was still working at the ripe old age of seventy-nine, yet most would agree that age meant nothing to the man. He was always learning something new, not just from his own endeavors but also from the pursuits of younger chefs. It was a sign of humility, to be taught by a younger chef. He may have had more experience, but he always considered younger chefs his equals, as he never hesitated to learn from them. However, his recent concerns about his abilities in the kitchen got him thinking again. _Is this trying to tell me that I'm too old for this kind of work? Maybe I should quit while I've still got what little ability I have left…leave people with the memory of the Michiba before Michiba lost it…_

"I see your tomatoes turned out beautifully this year," Sheena continued.

The old man said nothing. _Yes, the tomatoes are perfect this year, but my hands, at this point, will not do them justice…_

"Are you OK?"

"Hm?" the man hummed, snapping out of his trance. "Yes…y-yes, I'm fine…"

"Because that's what I'm here for. You don't look fine at all, and you've got everybody worried."

The old man said nothing, falling back into a trance.

"You—you're one of the most highly respected figures here in Mizuho, Michiba-sama—even more so than me. And it's just—it's, well…is there something wrong?"

Michiba fixed his glance at the young Chief. She was more perceptive than he had given her credit for. "Truth is…I think I'm getting too old for the kitchen. I'm losing my touch, Shihna-chan. I let that bowl of _katsuobushi_ go cold because it had no spirit, no _drive_ to appeal to the senses…"

"Let me taste it cold," she said. The Michiba she knew could make even a cold soup taste like it was still fresh off the stove. A piping hot soup, she remembered, had this strange cold sensation that hit one's tongue before the heat overwhelmed everything. It was this moment that the Michiba she knew could recreate perfectly with cold soup that had sat for hours.

Michiba did nothing but shake his head as she lifted the bowl to her lips and sipped the cold broth.

_Dead…_ she thought, _very unusually dead, the broth…something's definitely wrong here._

"What…" she gasped, "what happened? I thought this was the one thing that you said you never get wrong…now I see where you're coming from…"

Michiba nodded sadly, his despondent glance cast downward at the floor. "And the worst part is," he grunted, "is that the battle is in a week…I don't want to half-heart it against Genis-kun…"

Sheena patted the old man's shoulder. "Overcoming adversity is a natural part of any battle—you know that better than anybody here," she began, "and it is the time when we feel the weakest that spurs us to become strong again…" Her voice faltered, and the cold sensation of hard metal touching bare flesh pulsed throughout her as she reached for the bell that hung around her neck.

_Corrine…_

Her own voice rang out inside her head.

_For the sake of everyone that risked their lives to protect me…Volt! I demand your power!_

"Shihna-chan…" Michiba called, consolingly. The old man saw tears coming to Sheena's eyes, tears that knew the pain he was currently feeling. Pain that could, perhaps, never be healed. Overcoming her fears was one thing, but losing a dear friend…how could one overcome that?

She started _laughing_.

Michiba looked at her quizzically, wondering if maybe she did sneak a sip of his sake while he wasn't looking.

"What…what came over you?" he asked, beginning to laugh a little himself.

"It's…" she said between giggles, "it's nothing really…I just remembered my friend Lloyd, how he always has this way with letting people find their inner strength when they feel weak inside. He's an amazing person…" she sighed. "He definitely has a knack for making people get a hold of themselves…"

She turned to the Iron Chef, who sat there blankly. Her laughing fit subsided, and the two just sat in silence for a period too long to be considered comfortable.

Then an idea hit her.

"Hey…maybe you should talk to Lloyd, Michiba-sama…I'm sure he has a solution to this."

Michiba looked at her with an odd expression on his face. _But what could he do for my problem?_

"Was he the one who…talked to you after the battle with Volt?"

Sheena nodded. "And really…if it hadn't been for him, I don't think I could've been able to form the pact with Volt. And he made me realize that Corrine will always be my first friend, but it's important to have other friends—"

_Like Lloyd,_ she thought.

"—who will always be by your side. And I think it applies to you too—you keep saying you're losing your spirit that drives your cooking, but it's important to know that, no matter what, you still cook amazing food. Your old intuition still drives you to do your best, but you come to realize that it's not a bad idea to try new things at the same time."

Michiba bowed his head solemnly. _For someone a fourth of my age, the girl is wise beyond her years…_

"Thank you, Shihna-chan, for your thoughts…" the Iron Chef said, "but I feel this is a matter that I must pursue myself. No disrespect to your friend Lloyd, but I believe I just need time."

Sheena bowed. "I understand, Michiba-sama. And you still have a week before the battle to think on it." She got up and made her way to the door. "Just…if you need anything at all, come talk to me."

"_Hai_," Michiba grunted. "I will."

* * *

*Author's Note:

Bonito – Skipjack tuna. Commonly dried for several years to form a block almost wood-like in appearance, and shaved into flakes for use in katsuobushi, among other things. Also a popular sushi fish.


	3. The Day of the Battle

**Chapter 3: The Day of the Battle**

_ROKUSABURO MICHIBA INTRODUCTION_

_IRON CHEF SYMPHONIA_

_ If memory serves me right, the first Iron Chef Japanese is this man: Rokusaburo Michiba._

_ Michiba, considered a maverick in the field of Japanese cuisine, has become famous for his own saying: "there are no borders to ingredients."_

_ And he has certainly taken that saying and elevated it to a whole new level, especially when battling against challengers in Kitchen Stadium. During his two and a half year tenure as Iron Chef, he boasted an impressive record of 32 wins and only 5 losses._

_ But Michiba contacted me recently, and relayed to me this rather disturbing message:_

_ "I am beginning to lose my spirit of cooking."_

_ The great Michiba losing his spirit? I could not believe it at first, but when I realized that his iron touch was beginning to rust, I had to act quickly so as not to lose this god of the kitchen. And then I remembered an instance from a month ago, when Michiba himself served on the tasting panel._

_ The first, and so far only, challenger to win against an Iron Chef in Kitchen Stadium Symphonia is this young man: Genis Sage._

_ Sage, our youngest challenger to date, fought the Octopus Battle against Iron Chef Sakai one month ago, when Michiba was on the tasting panel. The Honorary Iron Chef cast the deciding vote that put young Genis over the top._

_ And when Michiba relayed that earlier message, he also added:_

_ "Genis's dishes were so innovative, so unique, so full of life. I feel that, in my cooking prowess's current debilitating state, I could learn something from him by watching him in the kitchen. So…I wish to challenge the young man myself."_

_ Very well. A culinary battle of the greats to awaken the sleeping soul of the Iron Chef…I am getting more anxious for this battle as the seconds pass._

_ Today's challenger: a man who needs virtually no introduction, Honorary Iron Chef Japanese the First: Rokusaburo Michiba._

_ Shortly after the _Iron Chef Symphonia _began here in Tethe'alla, Michiba moved to the village of Mizuho, where there he is the village's culinary professor. His teachings have turned out over 150 young chefs per year, earning top apprenticeships across the land of Symphonia. And, I have heard reports that he is even more respected than Chief Sheena Fujibayashi herself. The Chief, supposedly, has taken some of his classes as well._

_ A battle to end all battles: the Symphonian greats clashing head to head awaits us today in Meltokio's Kitchen Stadium…this is a battle you simply cannot miss._

_ So now, Michiba! Fight today's battle with your numerous years of experience, and use it to regain the spirit you say you are losing!_

_ "Winning or losing is not the point. I intend to use today's battle as a way to search for my soul. And maybe I'll learn something along the way."_

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"Just hold that there…that's it, just like that…ready, 1, 2, 3…"

_Click._

"OK, thank you, it'll be ready in the next hour."

Genis broke the pose and stepped away from the curtain. Never in a million years did he think Regal's little suggestion would lead him to be a head chef of one of Altamira's greatest restaurants. And as he flopped back into his chair backstage, sitting amongst four culinary giants, he never would've imagined, in the short time of the contest's existence, _he_ would become one of them, one of the invincible men of culinary skills, one of the mighty Iron Chefs—even if it is just for one battle. He looked down at his light blue jacket, Exsphere pattern stitched onto the lapel, and smiled. Just one battle as an Iron Chef, and Regal had gone through the lengths to get a special outfit made for him.

"Looks good on you," Sakai leaned over and spoke to Genis. "You really look like one of us now."

Genis gave a light laugh. "Thank you, Sakai-san…but seriously, all this for just one battle? This is too much."

There was a knock at the stage door, and Sakai got up to answer it.

"Umm…we were here to see Genis…"

"Ah, yes. Please, come on in."

The young Iron Chef was startled by the sight of his friends that Sakai had let into the back room.

"So you're gonna be rising with the rest of them, huh?" Lloyd remarked as he flopped into a chair next to Genis.

"Yeah…well, actually, just by myself, and I think they're even making a panel just for me. But I'm going up against Iron Chef _Michiba_…"

"If I may," interrupted Iron Chef Chen, "the Michiba I knew was always a tricky guy. You never know what he might come up with and with what ingredient. So it's really difficult to plan anything in advance against him, especially when you don't know what the theme will be."

Genis stared, taking in the words of the Iron Chef Chinese. "Well, I guess at this point I take Michiba's words to heart—just do what comes naturally…"

"I mean, isn't that what you normally do?" Lloyd replied. "You're always in command in the kitchen, and you never really show any sign of planning beforehand…just, what comes naturally to you, I suppose."

"Well, remember, he DID write that menu out in his battle against Sakai-san," Colette replied. "But it doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll do great, Genis!"

"Thanks," the young mage replied weakly, still unsure of the prospect of facing his mentor. _Even if he claims to have a weakened soul, he is still the mightiest Iron Chef of them all…but if it's my job to reintroduce him to the spirit of cooking, then I must do my best…_

"Iron Chefs to their platforms!" a producer called. "Three minutes until the Chairman's entrance!"

"We'll see you in the kitchen!" Colette called as Lloyd dragged her out of the holding room. Genis walked over to his platform, behind what would be the challenger's Royal Box.

"Showtime," he whispered as he heard the sound of applause from above. The Chairman had entered.

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Michiba straightened his Iron Chef's jacket and donned his blue flat cap. Waiting behind the challenger's curtain was an entirely different point of view for him, as he came to be so accustomed to being lifted into view. He recalled only having done this once before, during New Year's some time ago. _Even if I did lose that one,_ he thought,_ it was a ton of fun battling my Iron Chef successor, Komei Nakamura…_

_ Fun._ The word stuck in his head as he closed his eyes and rested his hands near his hips. _That's all today is about, right? That's all this occasion is about—having fun, making good food in the process…who cares if I lose?_

"Let's bring him on!" Kaga boomed from the other side of the curtain. "Honorary Iron Chef Japanese the First: Rokusaburo Michiba!"

_Now…it is time._

The curtain tore open, and Michiba slowly strode into Kitchen Stadium, meeting Kaga at the base of the steps.

_Just fun today, that's all…_

"Hello, it's been a long time."

"Great to be back," Michiba replied as he shook the Chairman's hand.

In the Iron Chef's Royal Box, Lloyd and Sheena looked on as Kaga continued to converse with Michiba. Unlike last time, there was no joking about Kaga's outfit fitting Kratos better, or Michiba's ridiculously slow procession into the Stadium, or increased speculation about Genis's portrait. Everyone in the Chosen's group—even the normally rambunctious Zelos—bore a stonefaced expression. The gravity of the situation began to sink in. Michiba's very livelihood was pretty much at stake in this battle. Winning this battle, for him, meant rediscovering his spirit of cooking. Losing this one, however, possibly meant lifeless dishes for the rest of his career.

"Yomigaeru-ai*…IRON CHEF!"

Once again, the Stadium darkened, and the four Iron Chefs ascended to their positions.

"They don't look nearly as intimidating as they usually do," Zelos whispered to Lloyd.

"Probably because _they_ aren't the ones under the gun today…especially Sakai, since he's the only one who's lost so far," Lloyd whispered back.

"Of course," Kaga continued, "you won't be battling one of these four. As I recall, there is a young chef who won here a month ago that you wished to challenge."

Michiba nodded. _Sometimes I hate the tediousness of this ritual…_ he thought as Kaga's voice interrupted his pensive moment.

"Yomigaeru-ai…SHIN TETSUJIN*!"

The picture on the Royal Box lifted out of view to reveal the young mage's portrait lighting up. Presea smiled as she could make out Genis's spiky silver hair poking out over the edge of the Royal Box. The young mage stood proudly in front of his portrait, arms crossed defiantly, gripping a paring knife in his right hand.

"Making a solo ascent into Kitchen Stadium Symphonia is Iron Chef Sylvaranti Genis Sage!" Fukui narrated. "The only victorious challenger so far here in Kitchen Stadium, Chairman Kaga appointed him Iron Chef for just this one battle, so he has something to prove against arguably the mightiest Iron Chef of them all!"

Genis descended from his platform to meet Michiba at kitchen level, while the other Iron Chefs filed into the challenger's side Royal Box.

"I can't wait…this will be a great battle, _onee-chan_*!" Colette whispered excitedly to Sheena, who giggled lightly.

"It's good to see Michiba-sama smiling again," she replied, "I haven't seen him smile in weeks."

Sure enough, the Honorary Iron Chef was smiling upon meeting the young Iron Chef at kitchen level. As the two chefs went to their respective sides of the kitchen, Kaga retook his position behind the ingredient stand.

"I had the most difficult time deciding on the theme ingredient for this battle," Kaga began. "Michiba says he has been losing his spirit, so he challenges a young chef to learn what it is like to have spirit again. Michiba, in a sense, returns to his early years as a chef through Genis. And then, it finally came to me. A fish…"

_And it better not be live, _Genis thought, remembering the headache of his last battle with live octopus.

"…that returns to its birthplace. It's in season."

Genis smirked, seemingly realizing what lay under the veil. Michiba remained as emotionless as ever.

"And now, let's unveil the ingredient. Today's theme…is this!"

The cloud of dry ice erupted from underneath the red tablecloth that Kaga ripped off the ingredient stand. As it cleared, Genis could make out a flash of silver rising out of the table. Six rather large silver fish rested on the ingredient stand.

_Good, they're not live this time…_

"Today's theme is…SALMON!"

* * *

*Author's Notes:

"Yomigaeru-ai" – "come to life".

Shin tetsujin – new Iron Chef.

Onee-chan - Older sister.

**Whew! And now the battle begins in the next chapter. Please read and review, because now I'm kinda stuck as to what to do next.**


	4. Sake Confront

Chapter 4 contains 60 minutes that will rock the Symphonian culinary world…let's get it on!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Sake Confront**

名譽 鉄人 }K{ 鉄人

道場 六三郎 VS ジーニアス・セイジ

"What a twist of events here in Kitchen Stadium Symphonia," Fukui narrated. "Honorary Iron Chef Michiba, claiming to be losing his spirit of cooking decides to challenge new Iron Chef Sage in an effort to rediscover what it means to have spirit drive your cuisine—a large crowd has gathered to watch this epic clash of the Symphonian culinary giants! Salmon is the theme, we are set, let's get it on!"

Kaga smiled and boomed forth the start signal: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"

The whole Stadium erupted in raucous applause as Michiba and Genis shook hands at kitchen level. Genis then promptly sprinted to the ingredient stand and grabbed one of the six large salmon resting there, handing it to his assistant.

"And Doc," Fukui exclaimed, craning his neck in Hattori's direction, "these fish are HUGE!"

"Oh, yes, these are probably the best salmon one can buy in Symphonia. Each one up there probably fetches about 30,000 gald a pop."

Sheena gasped, turning to Lloyd. "Did Hattori-san just say thirty THOUSAND?!"

Lloyd barely nodded, his eyes wide open upon hearing the steep price of each fish. "Y-y-yeah…" he managed, watching Genis fillet the expensive fish.

_And I thought five thousand for groceries was excessive…_ Presea thought, recalling the time she and Genis trekked to Flanoir to restock the pantry. "Regal…" the pink-haired woodcutter tugged at the older man's sleeve, "have you ever heard of fish that expensive before?"

Regal shook his head. "I've heard of other ingredients that can get that expensive, but never fish…"

"And both Iron Chefs appear to be in trouble as they work on that fish," Fukui commented, seeing Genis struggle with the knife. Michiba, due to his age, was having an even tougher time, even stopping to catch his breath.

_This is just like the old days again…_ the old man thought, recalling Iron Chef Ishinabe's story of the very first battle. His fellow Iron Chef's voice rang in his head: _"I couldn't even skin the salmon! I wasn't expected to cook anything decent with those knives…"_

Genis wiped the sweat from his brow as he stepped back from the cutting board. He looked at the knife in his hand in disbelief.

_What the hell's up with these knives today? I swear somebody messed with these before the battle…_

He raised the knife high above his head and swiftly brought it down on the tail of the fish he was working on. As he removed the knife from the cut, he tried to pry the tail off, but it wouldn't budge; the knife failed to cut all the way through.

_And an impact like that should've separated it completely…_

"Michiba-san!" Genis called.

"_Hai!_"

"Are your knives as dull as mine?"

"Yeah, I can't even cut into it!"

"Neither can I, they're not sharp at all! Hold on, I'll find something!" Genis called as he approached the Royal Box. "Yo, Lloyd! You think we can borrow your swords for the battle?"

Lloyd snapped out of his trance. "What?"

"Our. Knives. Suck." Genis showed Lloyd the knife he was using and pointed the thumb of his free hand down.

"But mine are too long!" Lloyd shouted back.

"We'll take anything at this point!"

Lloyd sighed and removed his sword belt, meeting Genis at the base of the Royal Box. "Go get 'em!" he said, handing the swords off and patting Genis on the back.

"Thanks!" Genis took one out of its sheath and laid it on his cutting board, then crossed over to Michiba's side of the kitchen.

"Michiba-san, here! It may be a little long but it's all we've got!" he called, handing Lloyd's other sword to him.

The old man eyed the long sword warily, unfamiliar with working with blades longer than a standard kitchen knife.

"Whoa, what's this? Iron Chef Sage bringing in swords?" Fukui inquired as Michiba picked up the blade, gingerly making an incision into the fish's belly. The skin parted easily, and Michiba split the fish open in no time.

"But for what?" Hattori asked.

"Fukui-san!"

"From the floor, Shinichiro Ohta, go!"

"Yes, these swords you see both chefs using are from Iron Chef Sage's friend Lloyd Irving, who's sitting in the Royal Box—I asked Iron Chef Sage about it and he told me, 'The Kitchen Stadium knives are too dull today, and I don't want to waste time over faulty equipment.' And as for why he gave one to Iron Chef Michiba, he simply said, 'I don't want to have an unfair advantage.'"

"Well, that's one way to do it," Fukui continued, "and the young Sage—Iron Chef Sage, rather—forced to improvise as usual, this time with faulty equipment in the Stadium. And now, let's meet today's guests for this sold-out clash of the titans…"

Colette glanced to the announcer's booth for the announcement of the special guests and saw Yuan and Tiga sitting between Hattori and Fukui.

"_Onee-chan_," she said, tapping Sheena's arm, "has Tiga judged here before?" She pointed to the announcer's booth.

Sheena looked in the direction of Colette's finger. _Well, this may explain the recent "absences" he's been taking lately…and I _thought_ it looked like he put on a little weight…well, whatever. Who knows, maybe he's learned a thing or two about cooking while he's been here._

"I…uh, I don't remember him saying anything about judging…though I think he's been here before…"

_My gosh…_ Michiba gasped, _this is _much _better! I don't even have to force it!_ He set small fillets of fish off to the side and barked at one of his assistants to get the rice cooker going.

_Where's that blowtorch Morimoto-san always uses…?_ Michiba thought as he checked under the sink.

On the other side of the kitchen, Genis breathed a little easier now that he wasn't struggling with the terrible knife he dealt with earlier in the battle. Lloyd's sword cleaved straight through the tail Genis had been struggling to remove earlier.

_Ha!_

There was an audible gasp from the crowd as he removed the tail. Genis held it up in triumph.

"Nothing can get past Lloyd's swords!" he shouted as the crowd applauded and laughed.

"FIFTEEN MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED," came the time call.

"All right, fifteen minutes gone already," Fukui narrated, "and there really hasn't been much cooking happening on either side—I guess the knives really gave them a lot of trouble today in the early stages of the battle—"

"Yeah, I don't ever remember seeing chefs having this much trouble with our equipment, not even during the very first battle…" Hattori replied.

"Well, we all remember that first battle—Honorary Iron Chef French Ishinabe fought that one, that was a salmon battle as well, incidentally, and we saw him visibly struggle with the cutlery as well…"

"But did he take fifteen minutes?" Tiga asked.

"…Yeah, I don't think anyone's taken that long," Hattori replied, chuckling.

"But you notice something's up with both of them today? They don't seem as chipper as they usually do in the kitchen…" Yuan put in.

"Actually, now that you mention it, yeah, something does look the matter," Tiga replied. "Maybe the real meaning behind this battle is finally beginning to set in?"

"Well, neither one of them even bothered writing a menu before they started cooking—"

"Aha! That's what it is!" everyone but Hattori crooned in realization.

"—but it could very well be that they were struggling with the knives so much that, 15 minutes in, there's no more time for a menu."

"Well, you may be right about that one…And now, look at this! Iron Chef Michiba with the blowtorch! We've never seen him do that before," Fukui commented.

"Yeah, that's something we usually see Morimoto-san use. I wonder what he's going to do with this?" Yuan replied.

"Well, typically the fat of the fish bubbles to the top when you use a torch, so I'm guessing he's using this to better draw out the natural flavors of this fish. Now, what he does with the fish after this is a total guess to me," Hattori lectured.

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"I asked Iron Chef Michiba if he had any particular reason for using the blowtorch and he just replied, 'No reason other than to make me feel young again! I mean, Morimoto-san uses it all the time and looks cool doing it, why can't I?'"

Lloyd chuckled at Ohta's latest report. "Anyone who uses a blowtorch," he said, leaning over to Sheena, "is a total badass in my book. I mean, Michiba-san looks like he could kill somebody with that thing!"

"Well, you know that presentation's important in any Iron Chef competition. You can't just win off taste alone!"

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"Both chefs have their rice cookers going, and I'll bet we're going to see a sushi dish from both sides today!"

_But isn't sushi a bit too…conventional for an Iron Chef battle? _Presea thought as she stared intently at the scene on Genis's side of the kitchen. "But…Regal, what could they do to make sushi a bit more…unconventional?"

The blue-haired man narrowed his eyes, darting them from one side of the kitchen to the other. "It would take an awful lot of creativity to figure that one out. I suppose one of them could take the skin of the fish and substitute that for the seaweed in a sort of handroll, but you never know…"

"Fukui-san!"

"Yes, Ohta!"

"On Iron Chef Sage's side, salmon skin is being used to wrap the sushi rice with the raw salmon fillets—it looks to me like he'll be serving it as a handroll!"

Presea's eyes widened in a rare show of surprise. "You…Regal, how did you know that?"

_Heh, I taught him that one…didn't ever think he was going to use it, though…_ "Just a hunch, Presea."

"And Fukui-san?"

"Yes?"  
"Iron Chef Michiba is using the salmon he torched earlier in his sushi dish, and it appears that he is sticking a bamboo leaf over it!"

_Now we just let that sit to absorb the bamboo aroma in peace…_ Michiba thought as Ohta finally left him alone.

As he continued working, though, the word he carelessly glossed over froze in his brain.

_Peace…_

Lo these several weeks before the battle, the old man had never felt at peace. He had been losing the very thing that motivated him to create good food, the thing that led him to success in the kitchen. Even his students at Mizuho's culinary academy picked up on the old man's dilemma—he had become more haggard by the day, lacking the usual punch that accompanied his lessons. He even remembered the time he had stumbled into a lesson twenty minutes late and drunk off the sake from his lunch break.

_Well, at least the students were amused at that one…what the hell did I come up with that day? It was a salmon dish, wasn't it…?!_ The old man shot up in surprise from the bowl of sauce he was working on.

"Nagata!" he called to one of his assistants, nearly knocking over the bowl. "Get me a bottle of sake and pour it into a barrel! Drop a whole fish in it and let me handle the rest!"

"But we don't have another fish—" Nagata shrugged.

Michiba didn't even make eye contact with him as he pointed to the ingredient stand. The carpaccio was nearly complete, and he didn't want to break his focus. Nagata, a little intimidated by the old man's terse action, bolted up to the stand and hastily grabbed another fish.

The carpaccio was now complete; Michiba turned his thoughts to his brilliant idea as he plated several more servings.

_So we'll soak it in sake for twenty, lightly batter and fry it, and garnish it with scallions, right? No, herbs are better…yeah, let's do that. Why didn't I think of that earlier?_

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"TWENTY MINUTES TO GO," the disembodied voice of the clock called.

_What?! 20 minutes? Crap, I'm not gonna make it!_

Genis began to scramble. Twenty minutes left in the battle and he still had three unfinished dishes in front of him. Just concentrating on these three unfinished dishes made him incredibly hungry; he almost ate the one dish he had completed until one of his assistants called a boiling-over pot of soup to his attention.

_First live ingredients, then faulty knives…I swear, if I ever battle here again, they should give me a vegetable theme and knives that actually _work…

Michiba maintained a notion of calm as he checked on the whole fish soaking in the sake barrel.

_Let's see…I think that's the only thing I have left to do?_

He had a dish lineup of salmon sushi, the salmon carpaccio, a salmon teriyaki filet resting atop julienned vegetables, and _sakeyaki_, a take on the French-style _takoyaki_ Sakai had made in his last battle against Genis. So indeed, the only thing he had left was the sake-soaked whole salmon. He had been busy with the batter with which to coat said salmon, and put the oil on the heat several minutes ago. The herbs were set aside and were ready to go.

"TEN MINUTES TO GO."

"OK, let's take it out!" he called. Nagata ran over and helped Michiba hoist the sake-drenched salmon onto the cutting board. The Iron Chef inhaled once the fish was flat on the surface.

_Ahh…that's beautiful._

He smothered the batter all over the fish before dunking it into the hot oil—the crackling batter and the sizzling fish were music to the Iron Chef's ears.

_I haven't felt this good about my cooking in such a long time…_

The other side of the kitchen, on the other hand, was buzzing frantically with activity. Genis had only one dish left to finish, and less than five minutes in which to complete it.

_Oh man, oh man, oh man…_

"THREE MINUTES TO GO."

"C'mon Genis! You can do it!" Colette cheered from the Royal Box, drawing out applause from the other group members.

The young Iron Chef frantically drizzled the teriyaki sauce over the baked salmon and dashed to the baskets to look for potential garnishes.

"ONE MINUTE TO GO."

_OK…teriyaki…sweet…salmon…oily and fatty…snow crab…creamy…what balances them all out?!_

"THIRTY SECONDS TO GO."

_Something with kick! Sharp herb, perhaps…aha! Rosemary, perfect!_

He grabbed a handful of rosemary and sprinted back to the plating area, trying hard not to drop any of the herb as he sprinkled it all over the dish.

"FIFTEEN SECONDS TO GO."

_Whew! That's it…one, two, three, four dishes again…_

"TEN SECONDS TO GO."

Michiba, on the other side, sipped some sake as he looked over his dishes one more time.

"FIVE SECONDS."

_Oh no! _Genis thought, casting his eyes on his salmon _katsuobushi_. _I forgot—_

"THREE."

"TWO."

"ONE."

"And that's it! The cooking's done, the Salmon Battle is OVAH!"

_—the noodles._

_

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**Yikes! Does Genis's omission cost him the match? Has Michiba finally regained a sense of direction in his cooking? Tasting and judgment when Iron Chef Symphonia returns!**


	5. Serving Up Judgment

Chapter 5, where we discover the panel's opinion's on the chefs' offerings. Does Michiba regain his spirit to clinch victory? Or does Genis hold off the mightiest Iron Chef of them all? _Bon appetit._

_

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**Chapter 5: Serving Up Judgment**

A smiling Michiba stood near the head of the table to the left of Chairman Kaga as the panel took their seats. Neil, Altessa, and Honorary Iron Chef Komei Nakamura later joined Yuan and Tiga at the judging table.

"Michiba-sensei," Nakamura said, approaching the old man, "it's a pleasant surprise to see you again." He shook hands with his former mentor. Once, Nakamura had suffered the same kind of Iron Toxicosis that Michiba had been suffering for the last week, and Kaga had dispatched Michiba to help him out. Nakamura remembered it well, as his elder's advice led him to tie in that year's Iron Chef World Cup.

"Hehe, Nakamura-san, good to see you too. It's been a long time."

"Yes, I'm now working up north in Flanoir—after the _Iron Chef_ began here, they opened up a new place in the north. I think some of the young interns know you?"

"Ah, yes," Michiba nodded, furrowing his brow, "ever since I started teaching in Mizuho I've been sending many of my students to Flanoir's new restaurant. But I had no idea you were there!"

"Yes, we'll have to catch up after the battle," Nakamura bowed as he took his seat.

Michiba's first course, the _sakeyaki_, was brought out first.

"This is definitely a bold move," began Tiga as he took another bite, "but the salmon flavor just isn't there. The dumpling batter is too overpowering…"

"I agree," Neil nodded. "I can see that there's salmon in this dish, but if I was totally blind, I'd have no idea."

The Iron Chef bit his lip as his second course, his sushi, was brought to the table.

_I know this one will be better._

"Oh, and please peel the bamboo leaf off before eating," Michiba advised.

Nakamura was clearly enjoying this, as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he chewed.

"Wow," he exclaimed, finally able to speak. "This…I'm speechless."

"You've drawn out the natural flavor of the salmon beautifully in this one," Yuan commented. "I love the earthy flavor the bamboo leaf added to the perfectly torched salmon."

"It's like that beautiful sensation when fall arrives in Mizuho…the flavor of the bamboo in the fish is a wonderful complement to the oily salmon," Tiga added.

_Good,_ thought Michiba. _If nothing else, I've gotten the first bits of praise for my cooking in such a long time…_

He spaced out as his third course, the carpaccio, was brought to the panel.

"What is this sauce?" Neil asked him.

_I don't really care if I win or not…that bit of praise just—_

"Michiba-san?" Kaga prodded, tapping the old man's sleeve.

"Eh? Oh, right…eh, this is a salmon carpaccio: raw salmon slices in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, and ponzu sauce. It's garnished with chopped green onions. I usually do this with tuna but wanted to try it with salmon and see what happened."

"It's a wonderful little combination of flavors," Altessa said. "Definitely got soul."

"Punch," Nakamura breathed.

"I do think this sauce would be better paired with tuna, however," Yuan interjected. "It's still a good dish, but it leaves an odd aftertaste that bugs me."

Michiba smiled wryly as he turned to get his next course.

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Genis eagerly watched the screen from backstage as the panel scrutinized Michiba's latest creations.

_Well, it's not overwhelmingly positive feedback he's getting…maybe I have a shot at this after all?_

He watched as Michiba plated and served his sake-drenched, lightly fried whole salmon.

_Martel, that looks so good…_

The young mage glanced over to his quartet of dishes and sighed. Nothing over there could pull off the pageantry that Michiba's whole fish could. But pageantry wasn't what he was after, anyway—he had won against Sakai last time out because he stuck to what he did best: dishes that were reflective of the skills he picked up from his journey. And, he thought, he did the exact same thing against Michiba today.

He looked over at his set of four dishes. If only he had an extra minute, he would've remembered to add the noodles to that soup…

"They're ready for you," a producer called as Michiba was ushered into the holding room.

"Good luck," Michiba whispered as he shook hands with Genis.

"Hehe…thanks…"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"How was it out there today, doing battle with Michiba-san?" Kaga asked as the panel indulged in Genis's first course, his salmon skin handroll.

"A little rough, to begin with," Genis sighed. "The knives weren't working properly today, so we had to make do with what we could get. And I was running a little short on time, as well…but please, enjoy what we have today."

"This is great," Altessa said. "The skin has this odd, but enjoyable, crispiness that complements the soft salmon fillet perfectly."

"I think you could've done well with a little teriyaki sauce or something," Tiga followed. "It's a good dish, but I feel it could use a little more."  
"Well, simplicity's never a bad thing," Nakamura replied. "Remember, sometimes if you add too much, it becomes a bad dish. This is simplistic enough to serve its purpose. I mean, yes, I feel it _could_ use something more like Tiga-san said, but it's a good dish on its own."

_And I never said I was going for extravagance either…_ Genis thought, slightly smiling as he left to retrieve his next course.

"This next dish is a soup—I meant to add noodles to it but I ran out of time."

"I…I don't like this," Yuan said, putting his spoon down. "The flavor pairing just isn't right."

"While I won't be as blunt as Yuan was," Neil added, "I will say that katsuobushi and salmon probably isn't the best pairing. Plus, this dish isn't very well constructed either. I know you ran out of time trying to add noodles, but even that wouldn't have saved this dish."

_Yikes!_ Genis thought. _They really aren't holding back today…_

"I'll just classify this as an experiment that turned out less-than-desirable," Nakamura commented, smiling. "I applaud your creativity."

_Well, Nakamura-san did this with Michiba-sensei as well…maybe he's just being diplomatic._

"This has a wonderful aroma," Neil commented as Genis's third course, the rosemary-baked salmon, arrived at the judging table.

"Oh, now this is the best," Nakamura proclaimed as he made to take another bite. "The snow crab and the teriyaki match the salmon perfectly. And the rosemary adds a wonderful kick to this dish."

"This is probably your best one so far out of this set," Yuan added.

Genis only bowed. _And here comes the last one…_

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"This is going to be a tough one to call from the sound of it," Sheena commented as she and the rest of the party watched from the monitors. "Neither one appears to have an edge, but they weren't exactly given overwhelmingly positive comments either…"

"Are ties possible?" Colette asked.

"Not with five judges. Even if points are tied, it's votes that count," Raine replied.

"OK then, enough chit-chat, call it. Who wins?" Zelos pointedly asked.

"Not to knock Genis or anything, but I think Michiba's got this one."

"No, I believe Genis wins this one."

"I wish I can call a tie…"

"I think Michiba wins it in a squeaker."

"Agreed. It'll be incredibly close, but I think Michiba will win."

"Genis by one point."

The Royal Box looked at Presea in surprise.

"Well, well, aren't we getting confident in our psychic abilities…" Zelos remarked, playfully punching the little woodcutter.

"I wish you wouldn't do that…and besides, I think we all should be quiet now." She pointed to the kitchens, where both Michiba and Genis were now standing. The crowd began to applaud as the panel followed Chairman Kaga back into the Stadium; it fell silent as Kaga stood behind the ingredient stand and held up his hand.  
"Both chefs had something to prove in today's battle," the Chairman began. "For the young Sage, today's battle was his first as an Iron Chef. Winning today would solidify his prowess as a culinary mastermind.

"For the elder Michiba, today's battle was his gateway back to his cooking soul. Today's battle has certainly put his very livelihood on the line. If he loses this one, there will be no chance for him to make a comeback in the culinary world."

The elder Iron Chef shut his eyes reflectively, knowing the magnitude of this battle. Sure, he came up with some pretty spectacular dishes today, but it meant nothing if he couldn't come up with the victory to show for it.

"Now…the verdict."

Tense piano chords filled the otherwise-silent Kitchen Stadium as Fukui began narrating once again.

"A culinary clash of the Symphonian giants taking place here today in Kitchen Stadium—and what a battle it has been! Iron Chef Michiba: supposedly he's losing the very essence of cooking that has drawn him to do so well in the kitchen, so he steps in and challenges new Iron Chef Genis Sage, the youngest of them all. There's a lot at stake in this battle—the tension is high, and now it is time to know: who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?!"

"Tetsujin…"

* * *

It's the return of the cliffhanger! Only I cut it off before the announcement of the name of the winner—they're both Iron Chefs (Tetsujin), so he'd call out "Iron Chef" whomever…wait for the next chapter to find out who wins!


	6. The Calm After the Storm

Chapter 6, the post-battle remarks. There will be another chapter to follow, the epilogue I never wrote for the last one. Enjoy.

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**Chapter 6: The Calm After the Storm**

The entire Stadium crowd was silent, eagerly awaiting Chairman Kaga's announcement of the winner. It was too silent to be considered comfortable; everyone knew the significance of this battle to both chefs, and nobody dared to take it lightly.

It was a rare thing for Michiba to show emotion on the kitchen floor, especially when being judged. Normally he would stare at Kaga intently, with a face rivaling that of a statue. Sure, he was disappointed when he lost, but he never wanted to give anything away. Today, however, was different. What he didn't see couldn't hurt him. His eyes were closed, and his head looked to the sky in a reflective prayer.

On the other side, the normal smirk that the young Genis wore on his face was nowhere to be found.

_I'll be happy either way, right? I mean, I should be happy if Michiba-sensei wins…it'll mean he's recovered from this Iron Toxicosis…_

"Tetsujin…" Kaga began, commanding complete silence from the crowd. He paused.

_This is one of those times where I hate handing down the verdict, _he thought. _There will be much relief for the winner, but I fear greatly for the loser…_

"…_Michiba Rokusaburo!_"*

The old man's eyes bolted open at the sound of his name, the rest of his body buckling into a clumsy bow.

"HE DID IT!" Fukui exploded, as did the entire Stadium. "Michiba, Michiba has won it! The man who says he has lost his spirit has most certainly rediscovered it here today! And listen to this—this crowd has taken leave of their senses! All of them, overjoyed with Michiba's victory! And Iron Chef Sage, ever so gracious in defeat—there are no hard feelings around, but it was most certainly Michiba's day!"

"Ah, too bad for Genis…" Raine sighed.

"Yeah, but Professor, Michiba-san won! He's found what he lost…I mean, we should be happy about that, right?" Colette said, still madly applauding.

"Yes…I suppose you're right," Raine replied, and stood up to applaud the elder Iron Chef.

"Let's check the scores for this battle," Fukui followed up. "Neil, 17-15 for Michiba. Yuan, 15-13 Michiba. Tiga, 18-16 Sage. Altessa, 17-16 Sage, two-two until Nakamura, 16-14 for Michiba, and the first Iron Chef Japanese wins it by three points! There's no doubt about it; this man has truly rediscovered what cooking is all about—Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba!"

At the kitchen floor, as Fukui had said earlier, there were no hard feelings around as the two chefs embraced, congratulating each other on the battle.

"I still can't believe I won after all that," Michiba told the young mage.

"Well, we both did our best. But I have to think that you have to have regained _something_ after winning this battle, right?"

"Yes, you're right," the old man replied. "I can feel my spirit coming back to me…"

Sheena and Presea joined the Iron Chefs at the floor after the lights came back up and the cameras stopped rolling. Genis had retreated to his side of the kitchen.

"You did great, Genis. Don't be so down on yourself," Presea said, patting Genis on the back.

"Oh no, I'm not disappointed at all that I lost," the young mage replied, blushing profusely, "but I'm rather very, very happy that Michiba-sensei won this one. Can you imagine what would've happened to him if he lost? He would've lost everything that makes him what he is."

Presea reflectively cast her glance over to the elder Iron Chef. _He's right,_ she thought, _that would've been horrible…I've been there before._

"Michiba-sama…congratulations!" Sheena squealed, pulling the old man into a tight hug.

"Ow, oh, thank you, Shihna-chan, but you're hurting me…"

"You'll be the talk of the town back at the culinary academy…"

_The academy…! I forgot, I still have to plan tomorrow's lesson!_

"And I think I know what I'm going to do for tomorrow…ah, Genis-kun?" the old man called to the other side.

Genis looked away from Presea to answer him. "_Hai!_"

"Would you like to stage the same battle for the students at the Mizuho Culinary Academy? I'm sure they'd learn a lot from our dishes. Shihna-chan here is taking the class I want us to teach together."

He looked at Presea, who gave him a quick nod, then back at the old man.

"Why don't we both pick three dishes we did really well and teach a class around those? I don't think they'd want my soup dish I did today."

The old man laughed. "Fair enough, Genis-kun. See you tomorrow."

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Later that night, Genis and Presea sat pensively at the table in Sheena's house in Mizuho, gearing up for the joint guest lecture he was to give with Michiba.

"It was sure nice of Sheena to let us stay here before the lecture tomorrow," Presea said. "I just hope we're not disturbing her sleep…"

Genis said nothing.

"You don't regret it, do you?" Presea said in a low voice, clasping Genis's hand.

"Not at all. Like I said, I'm not disappointed at all."

"Then why are you so quiet?"

"Just thinking about tomorrow, that's all. I mean, think about it—the day before my battle against Sakai-san a month ago, Michiba-sensei was my inspiration. It was weird battling him today, given the circumstances as well—I mean, yeah, I had to put up a fight to make him recover what he lost, but I'd regret it even more if I had won. And now I'm teaching alongside him tomorrow, so does that make me his equal?"

Presea gave a rare giggle and squeezed Genis's hand. "Well, maybe not, since you lost, but otherwise—"

"Hey!" Genis whined, playfully punching Presea's shoulder. The little woodcutter giggled, but quickly became silent again as she heard Sheena grumble in the next room.

"Just…I may not be of much help, but…uh…don't think on it that much," she said, planting a kiss on Genis's cheek and getting up to go to bed.

Genis's eyes widened in surprise as he found himself alone in the room.

_That's…a wonderful distraction…_

_

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**Author's Note: The Japanese typically put the family name (surname) first, followed by the given name. If you've ever watched "Iron Chef" before you'd understand. Plus, with a start like "Tetsujin..." how could I not put Michiba-san's name in that fashion anyway? It wouldn't sound right.**

**The final chapter, the guest lecture with Michiba and Genis (with all of the Symphonia cast sitting in on the class), will be coming shortly. In the meantime, please read and review! I said I'd make Iron Chef Symphonia a series, but it will be up to you to decide whether I write another one or not.**

**And, provided I keep writing this series, I'll also be taking requests for potential match-ups and theme ingredients--see my profile for more details. Right now I'm thinking Sheena will take on Morimoto in the next one I plan to write, with a special objective...**


	7. A Special Lecture

Chapter 7, which is Genis and Michiba's joint professorship at the Mizuho Culinary Academy. Maybe some of the Symphonia cast will pick up on some cooking pointers during the class! Enjoy the final chapter.

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**Chapter 7: A Special Lecture**

A large crowd filed into the big lecture hall of the Mizuho Culinary Academy, eagerly anticipating the main event: the joint guest lecture of Iron Chefs Genis Sage and Rokusaburo Michiba. Sheena directed the rest of the group to their seats in the front row amidst the great deal of chatter over the fact that the Chosens of Regeneration and their group were attending this lecture. Even more fascinating to them was the fact that one from that group was delivering the lecture as well.

"Can you believe one of the Chosen's friends is an Iron Chef?" one of the students whispered to his friend.

"I didn't even know any of them could cook!"

"Well, one of them still can't…" He pointed out Raine, who wasn't paying them any attention.

"Sheena, when did you decide to establish the Culinary Academy here?" the professor asked.

"Ah, it hasn't been here very long," the kunoichi replied. "We got the idea shortly after our journey, but we didn't actually begin teaching classes until Michiba-sensei moved here. Nobody was qualified enough to teach until he arrived one day." She quickly checked the clock—about 10 minutes before she was supposed to introduce the two chefs.

"Excuse me, Raine," she said, "but I've gotta look over my introduction notes."

The professor nodded, turning her attention to the lecture hall itself.

"The architecture of this place is really quite interesting…" she muttered to herself. Lloyd, picking up on this, turned to her and sighed.

"Really, Raine? Ruin Mode in a cooking school? Oh boy…"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

The two Iron Chefs looked over their lecture notes one final time, making sure they knew full well what they were preparing in advance. Michiba would recreate his salmon carpaccio and his sushi dish, while Genis would make his sushi dish and his baked salmon. The young mage looked at Michiba's masterful calligraphy. In comparison, his handwriting was horribly messy.

"You ready for this one, Genis-kun?"

The young mage sighed. "I don't know, Michiba-sensei. I've never taught before—I'm so used to being on the other end of the lecture."

"Haha," the old man chuckled. "Well, just be sure you explain every step of the dish as clearly as you can, and you should do just fine. It's just like an Iron Chef battle—you have to communicate your plan to your assistants so they know what you're up to. That's why I write the menu."

"At least they can read your handwriting," Genis deadpanned. "I tried that in my battle against Sakai-san, and nobody knew what I wrote!"

"Ah, but this time your menu comes from here—" Michiba pointed to his head— "and here," he said, pointing to his mouth.

"Well then…I'm ready."

"Good!" Michiba reached for his _masu_ he had filled with sake, while Genis grabbed a bottle of water.

"To an informative lesson!" Michiba said, raising the box.

"_Kanpai_," Genis replied laughing, raising his water bottle. "And let's show them why we're the Iron Chefs."

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

It was time. Sheena got up from her seat and stood in front of the kitchen, silencing the massive crowd that had gathered. Channeling Chairman Kaga, she held up her hand to begin her welcome address.

"Today we welcome a very special guest. As some of you may know, Professor Michiba has been struggling with some personal issues revolving around his cooking. Perhaps to find a cure, he competed against junior Iron Chef Genis Sage yesterday in Battle Salmon, which, as some of you may not know, he won."

A chorus of cheers escaping from the back rows interrupted her—obviously these were students who didn't hear of Michiba even marching into Kitchen Stadium.

"So here, then, is your regular professor: the First Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba!"

Michiba entered the lecture hall to a deafening roar of students, supporters, and colleagues. Obviously overwhelmed by the incredible response, he removed his cap and bowed clumsily.

"Professor Michiba has welcomed his opponent here today to deliver a joint guest lecture centering around the theme ingredient they used in their battle yesterday. He may only be 13 years old, but he is now one of the top chefs in all of the land of Symphonia. In fact, just a month ago, he himself defeated Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai in Battle Octopus. I am proud to call him a friend of mine and a traveling companion during the Journey of World Regeneration."

A low murmur hung over the crowd. Sheena gestured to Michiba for him to make the introduction.

"This young man will amaze you with what he is capable of doing. My Iron Chef brother-in-arms, Genis Sage!"

The crowd gasped and applauded as the young Iron Chef timidly entered the lecture hall, taking his place next to the elder Michiba.

"Thank you very much," Genis began. "Michiba-sensei and I are very excited to deliver this lecture to you. We'll each be making two of our dishes we made in yesterday's battle, with salmon as the theme."

"Also," Michiba added, "we'll be highlighting the importance of _umami_* in each dish, and how we impart it from different sources into the fish. And so with this in mind, students, Shihna-chan, if you would please…"

The kunoichi giggled. "ALLEZ CUISINE!" she bellowed, to laughs and applause as the two chefs shook hands and set to work on their sushi dishes.

"So probably the most important thing after the fish in any sushi dish is the rice…"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Raine stared wide-eyed at Lloyd, who was actually taking notes for the first time in his life.

"Lloyd, how come you're paying attention here, but you never paid attention to anything _I_ ever taught you?"

"I dunno, Professor," he whispered as the crowd laughed at Michiba sending Genis to fan the rice while he filleted the salmon, joking that handling the fish was real men's work. "Maybe it's because cooking's something I actually need to know to learn how to do to stay alive…"

_And I want to challenge an Iron Chef myself,_ he kept to himself.

"You should pay attention too, Professor," he added innocently. "Maybe you can pick up a few pointers from your younger brother!"

Raine sighed—everyone in the group knew she was the worst cook. _Maybe he's right…ah, Lloyd, I underestimate you way too often…_ She flipped open her notebook and wrote down some token advice from the Iron Chefs. _Though I did NOT appreciate the first part of that…knowledge is power, don't you know that?_

"Look out, Michiba-san's going into Over Limit!" Genis shouted as the old man reached for the blowtorch.

A resounding "ooooohh" from the crowd drowned out laughter from Genis's comment as Michiba powered on the blowtorch. The crowd noise only grew as the old man turned up the flame, torching the salmon and producing a violent flare in the process. Genis brought a sample of the sushi rice for Michiba to taste, which he approved immediately.

"Nothing like a blowtorch to make this old soul feel young again! Now comes the easy part," Michiba said, beginning to form rice balls.

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"Just be careful not to make the skin too crispy, or it'll be difficult to roll," Genis instructed as he removed a fried salmon skin from the hot oil.

Presea watched the young mage with an awestruck expression on her face. The young mage had definitely taken Michiba's philosophy to a whole new level, and even began to develop one of his own: that the chef doesn't make the ingredient, the ingredient makes the chef.

_Wish I could cook that well,_ she thought.

"…and there they are!" Genis said as he plated his sushi. The lecture hall erupted in applause as the two Iron Chefs held up both their sushi plates in triumph.

"Umm…P-P-Presea, would you come here, please?" Genis called out, lightly blushing.

The little woodcutter's eyes widened as she slowly clambered out of her seat and made her way to the kitchen counter.

"W-well, w-what I was going to, uh, have you d-do here—"

Michiba patted Genis on the back, shutting him up. "He'd like to have you taste the hand roll, with your permission, of course."

Genis's blush went even darker as he nodded rapidly, to the amusement of the crowd.

"Haha, look at him, he can't even breathe because she's so close…" Lloyd whispered to Sheena, who giggled as Presea took a bite of the hand roll.

"I'm just surprised he hasn't said anything about it to her yet…" she whispered back. She could see Presea nod her approval.

"What, you haven't seen what Presea's been doing to him lately? She's practically fallen for him, and I think _he's_ the oblivious one…" Lloyd replied.

Meanwhile, at the kitchen counter, Presea pondered what to tell Genis about his sushi offering. "It has a wonderful texture," Presea told him, "and the rice is seasoned perfectly. This is a truly beautiful dish."

Genis beamed. As the crowd began to applaud, she added in a whisper, "You should add this to the menu back in Altamira…"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"That was a great lecture, Genis!" Colette squeaked as the group met at the entrance to Mizuho. "I can't wait to go home and try to make the baked salmon!"

"Everything looked really good out there," Sheena added. "No offense, Genis, but I want to try to make Michiba-sama's carpaccio."

"I don't care what looked good, I was hungry afterwards! How come Presea got to taste the sushi?" Lloyd whined, to everyone's amusement.

"I knew you'd make a great teacher someday, Genis," Raine said, beaming. "Even _I_ learned something new today…now I'll have to go home and try it!"

"Well, just don't burn the place down when you either fry the skin or use that blowtorch!" Zelos shot back, earning him a death stare from the Professor. The group laughed.

"We should probably be going," Raine said, trying not to explode in front of the red-haired Chosen. "I'm sure Genis has a long day at the restaurant tomorrow."

The young mage sighed. "Yeah, I guess I should be heading back to Altamira soon…"

"No, Genis, don't worry about it," Regal interrupted. "You stay here for the night. You look tired. I'll take care of business until you get there tomorrow, just take your time."

Genis thanked Regal and said his goodbyes to the rest of the group as he and Sheena made their way back to the Chief's residence. A certain pink-haired woodcutter timidly snuck up behind Genis and took his hand, and they paused in the middle of the village.

"Oh!" he gasped in surprise. Seeing Sheena pause as well, he waved her on back, reassuring her he'd catch up in a moment.

"I…" Presea began. "I need to talk to you."

_Well, this is a surprise…_ Genis thought to himself. _She's not usually one to talk…_ He said nothing, but he nodded his head to let her know he was listening.

"I know that I am not one to express my emotions that much…but the fact of the matter is, I have changed. I am slowly beginning to learn how to express myself, how to tell people how I feel. And…I need to tell you how I feel," she said, shrugging.

"About what?" Genis asked.

"Well…" Presea sighed, "ever since I began watching you in the kitchen I could not help but notice how…how confident you were in your work, how you put your soul into all these dishes, how much they really mean to you. And it is this confidence that has inspired me to find my own soul again."

She grabbed Genis and pulled him into a hug, startling him. She raised her head to whisper something into his ear.

"What I really want to say is, Genis…I, umm…"

_I hope I'm saying this right…_ she thought, before she spoke again:

"I love you…"

Genis just stood there and awkwardly wrapped his arms around Presea as the realization finally hit him. She had just told him what he was struggling to tell her this whole time. Did it take actually losing a battle to make her say it?

"I, uh…I thought you'd never say that to me…" he stammered. "I love you too, Presea…"

They stayed in that tight embrace for an eternity, not wanting to let the other go. They were one soul now, one soul that they were so afraid of losing by letting go. The little woodcutter said nothing as she took his hand up in hers and made her way to Sheena's place.

Little did they know that, hiding in the shadows was an old man, sipping from a _masu_. As he heard Presea's story of finding her soul again and the gesture of young love that followed, the old man beamed, feeling a single tear well up in the Iron Chef's eye.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**umami - Savoriness. One of the basic tastes present on the tongue.**

**OK, I'll admit...that was pretty bad. Maybe I should just stick to ending the action in Kitchen Stadium.**

**But in any event, this story is finally OVAH! Thanks for reading if you've stuck around for this long and are reading this--please review, because I'm not sure whether I want to continue this series. I have several stories in mind, but I can't help but wonder if I can get enough inspiration to actually write them. This one took me pretty long as it is (compared to the last one, anyway). But anyway, _arigato gozaimasu_ and until the next time in Kitchen Stadium Symphonia, I bid you good eating.**


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